


Black Wolf

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: In A Better World [6]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: But mostly fluff, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Future Fic, With A Little Talk of Murder, with kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 08:52:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12165597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: Everyone else thought of the Black Wolf as terrifying, but Arya and her family knew the truth. (Future fic)





	Black Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> I'll still write the wedding, I promise. But this one showed up fully formed, and it seemed silly of me to argue with them.

_Long after she became Lady Baratheon, the youngest Stark girl was still referred to in whispers as the Black Wolf. It started after the death of the Freys, where rumors flew of a girl who stole Walter Frey's face to avenge the death of the Starks. She had a voice as cold as winter and a stare like death, leading people to wonder if Arya Stark had returned from the dead to seek her vengeance. Then word reached their ears that she'd cut Lord Baelish's throat for betraying her family, that she'd dug the magic out of the Night King's heart with the blade of a knife, and they became certain of it._

_After that, rumor ran wild. Some said that the Black Wolf had fought the God of Death in order to win her life back, while others said she'd made a bargain with the god to send him as many souls as she could in exchange for her own. Some said she could turn into shadows, while some said she hunted in the form of the black wolf whose name she carried. When a lesser lord who refused to be led by Robert's bastard was found slumped over his desk, throat slit despite the fact that there was no sign of an intruder, even those who had doubted the stories started to wonder if there was something more than human about her._

_Sometimes, people would wonder what such a frightening creature was doing married to the Smith Lord, a forthright man generally beloved of the smallfolk. Some swore that he made his own deal with the God of Death, but it was most commonly believed that his bravery had won him some hold over the Black Wolf. As the stories grew, people began to whisper that he kept the wolf close by hiding her heart in a sealed box somewhere deep inside Storm’s End. The moment she found it again, the Black Wolf would return to the shadows where she belonged._

Evan burst out laughing, falling backwards across his sister's bed. "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. Father doesn't keep Mother's heart in a _box_." He laid a hand on his chest, the derision in his voice changed to sincerity with the kind of speed only a six-year-old could muster. "He keeps it _here_ , just like Mother keeps his in her chest."

Arya couldn't help but smile at her son's firm belief in one of Gendry's favorite stories. "Most people don't know that, though," she told him, undoing the plaits in her daughters hair with practiced fingers. Andra had recently developed a love for complicated braids, and though Gendry was slightly better Arya thought she'd gotten pretty good at it.

There were some highborn, of course, who had pointed out to her and Gendry that there were perfectly good servants who could handle such things as the children's nighttime rituals. They ignored them, as they did whenever they were questioned about how they were living their lives. "So they have to come up with a reason why someone as scary as I am would be so devoted to your father," she continued.

"It's true," Andra added, in full "Future Lady Baratheon" voice. She was only eight, but she was already determined that she would eventually inherit Storm's End. Arya would be more worried about it – despite the changes the Queen had made, men would always be more favored – but Evan seemed to support the plan completely. "The last time we were in King's Landing visiting Uncle Jon, I heard some of the servants whispering about how they saw Mother stalking around outside the castle in the form of a black wolf."

Arya hoped they had the good sense not to do that in front of Jon. The stories about her still bothered him, though she'd finally convinced him to stop challenging them. "And what did you do when you heard them talking?"

"I told them not to go anywhere near you in wolf form, because you sometimes eat servants if you're hungry enough." Andra tilted her head back enough to give Arya a proud smile. "It's good if strangers are scared of you. It helps keep us safer."

Arya smiled down at her daughter. "That's exactly right." She finished undoing Andra's hair, pressed a kiss against the top of her head. "I'll be the most horrifying monster I need to be to make sure the rest of you are untouchable."

"You're not a monster!" three-year-old Corynn chimed in, distressed. She had the sweetest heart of all the children, tending all of her siblings' wounds with fake bandages and kisses. "You only kill bad people! You're the nicest mama ever!"

Andra immediately turned to reassure her sister. "Mother's nice with us because we're her pack, and even the scariest wolves are always nice to their pack."

Corynn's brow furrowed. "Aren't we a herd?"

"We're mostly a herd, because we're Baratheons, but since mother is a wolf we're her pack," Evan explained, jumping off the bed and turning around to face her. "And with us she runs and plays and pets our heads, but if someone mean comes along she changes." He raised his hands up so they looked like claws. "She gets her claws ready, and shows off her big sharp teeth, and—"

A huge roar from the doorway made all three of the children jump and shriek, and Arya turned and grinned at her husband. "How long were you standing there waiting for that opening?"

"A little while." He grinned back at her, moving close enough to slide an arm around her waist and give her a lingering kiss. "Davos and I need you to look at this petition with us. There's something off about it, but we can't quite put our finger on what it is."

"She can't do _work_!" Evan threw his hands up in the hair. "She's putting us to bed!"

Gendry raised an eyebrow at his son. "Yours and Corynn's beds aren't even in here."

That threw him a little, but he rallied. "It's a process."

"Mama was telling us about the Black Wolf," Corynn explained. "People think she's scary."

He smiled at her. "People are silly like that, but we pretend sometimes when others are listening." Then he went forward, scooping up both Evan and Corynn amidst shrieks and giggles. He turned back, draping one of them over each shoulder. "How about I put these two into their beds, you put Andra into hers, and then we switch for kisses?"

"I don't have to sleep," Andra chimed in, sounding hopeful. "I can help you guys look at the petition."

"If we can't figure it out, I promise you we'll ask for your help tomorrow," Gendry promised. "But right now, you need to finish getting ready for bed."

"Remember," Arya added. "If you're not well rested enough, it means your enemies can get a jump on you."

Andra's shoulders dropped in disappointment. "That's what Aunt Sansa says, too."

"Well, if all three of us agree on something, it must be right." Gendry leaned forward to give Arya another quick kiss. "See you soon, Black Wolf."

She gave him a playful growl as he left, then turned back to her daughter. "Now, let's get you out of those—"

She stopped, surprised, as Andra threw her arms around her waist. "You really are the best mother ever," she whispered against her stomach. "Even though I wear dresses, I want to be just like you when I grow up."

Arya's chest squeezed tight with a rush of love. "You're wonderful just as you are." She stroked a hand over her hair. "And I got lucky – I have the best husband and children in the whole world."

Andra pulled back just enough to grin up at her. "And if anyone tries to hurt you, we'll make them wish they'd never been born."

Touched, Arya bent down and pulled her daughter into a fierce hug. Her life was blessed beyond what she'd once been able to even imagine. "My heroes."

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [original fiction,](https://jennifferwardell.wixsite.com/mybooks) my [blog,](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


End file.
